黑洞社区

12:31pm

Welcome to 黑洞社区鈥檚 coverage of the second budget of the year.

12:34pm

Osborne rises. The Budget will be 鈥渢ough and fair鈥�, says Osborne. One pound in every four spent in the UK is borrowed. Labour had no credible plan to reduce it.

12:35pm

Higher interest rates, business failures, unemployment rising and a catostrophic lack of confidence will result if we don鈥檛 cut the deficit.

鈥淚鈥檓 not burying the truth in the small print of the budget,鈥� says Osborne.

12:36pm

Dig at Gordon Brown: 鈥淲e are set to miss the Golden Rule by 拢485m.鈥�

12:38pm

The structural buget deficit should be balanced by 2015/16, says Osborne.

Office for Budget Responsibility鈥檚 growth prediction: 1.2% in 2010, 2.3% in 2011, 2.8% 2012 in 2.9% in 2013, and 2.7% in 2014 and 2015.

Consumer price inflation: 2.7% in next year and then returning to 2% - the Bank of England鈥檚 inflation target.

Unemployment will peak at 8.1% in 2010 and will fall in next four years to reach 4.1% by 2016.

12:43pm

BBC says that 1.2% growth forecast is lower than predicted. 鈥淥ur approach is lower spending, not higher tax,鈥� says Osborne.

77% of deficit reduction will be achieved through spending reductions and 23% by tax increases.

Budget deficit will fall from today鈥檚 拢149bn to 拢20bn in 2015. This equates to reduction from 10.1% of GDP in 2010 to 1.1% in 2015.

12:47pm

Osborne announces to cheers that the Euro properations unit has been abolished.

Capital spending will not be cut futher in this parliament. Good news for construction. Osborne says that capital investment was cut too deeply in the early 1990s.

Overall spending will fall by 拢30bn more than previous projections.

12:50pm

Osborne says he is commited to increase NHS spending.

Other departments will face average really cut of 25% over four years.

Final details will be set in October鈥檚 spending review.

Osborne says he has identified 拢17bn extra cuts in addition to the 拢40bn already identified.

12:53pm

鈥淲e need to restrain public sector pay.鈥� Two year pay freeze for public sector pay. Those earning less than 拢21,000 will receive 拢250 extra per year for two years. This will cover 28% of the public sector workforce.

Osborne has asked Will Hutton to come up with fairer pay scales in public sector. Top boss will receive no more than 20 times the salary of the lowest paid.

12:56pm

Welfare reform is required. Benefit bills are being addressed across Europe. Total welfare spending from 拢132 to 拢192bn over last 10 years.

Tax credit payments to families earning over 拢40,000 will be reduced.

Child benefit will be frozen for three years.

1:01pm

Disability benefit - medical assessement will be introduced in 2011 for existing and new claimants.

More spent on housing benefit on police and universities combined says Osborne. Housing benefit is in 鈥渄ire need of reform,鈥� says Osborne. He will impose an upper limit housing benefit to 拢400/week for a four bed-house among a range of other measures. Housing benefit to be reduced by 拢1.8bn by end of parliament.

1:04pm

We will make it cheaper to employ people. The cost of hiring people on pay of less than 拢20,000 will be lower than it is today.

Corporation rates will be cut by 1% to 27p in the pound, and reduced to 24p within four years. The small companies tax rate will be reduced. Coaltion will reduce it to 20% to support 850,000 small businesses.

1:07pm

Manufacturing as a whole will pay less tax but capital and investment allowances will be reduced for plant and machinery from 20 to 18%.

1:09pm

Financial activities tax on bank profits is being 鈥檈xplored鈥�. From January 2011 a bank levy will be introduced. 拢2bn will be raised annually. Germany and France also introducing the same levy today.

1:12pm

Labour鈥檚 reen investment bank will remain.

Osborne announces capital investment in areas outside London and the South East:

• Tyne and Wear and Manchester Metros
• Birmingham New Street station redevlopment
• Rail improvements for Sheffield and line between Leeds and Liverpool.
• A regional fund will support projects that offer innovation and create jobs.

1:17pm

VAT is increased from 17.5% to 20%. It is unavoidable says Osborne, and will generate 拢13bn extra revenue per year.

Captial Gains Tax: Rises to 28% for higher tax earners.

New bank levy will create 拢2bn of tax revenue every year. Introduced at the same time as Germany and France, which announced similar plans today.

13:24pm

Pensions will increase in line with earnings from April 2011.